Study visit: HoS, Oyo-Ita leads top civil servants Asia

The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, at the weekend led a high-powered delegation consisting of top officials from Federal and State Governments on a one-week Bench Marking and Study visit to Malaysia and Singapore.

The HoS had, upon assumption of office in 2016 said “my dream is to restore the integrity and dignity of service”.

To achieve this, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation developed the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as a tool to guide the process of repositioning the civil service for effective service delivery.

The Strategic Plan of the OHCSF placed premium on building the capacity of the workforce (the Civil Servants) who are responsible for the interpretation and implementation of government policies.

The Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) under the supervision of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation has the mandate to provide competency and demand-driven training to Civil Servants to improve their capacity for effective and efficient service delivery.

A statement by the Deputy Director of PSIN (Press and Public Relations), Ekaete Umo, said in line with the mandate, the PSIN was seeking ways to ensure that the Nigerian Public Service remained adequately positioned to carry out its functions and operations in line with global best practices.

Targeting the critical stakeholders and key players in Federal and States Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the PSIN is coordinating a Bench Marking Study visit to Malaysia and Singapore under the leadership of Oyo-Ita to expose delegates to the workings of the Civil Service in the Asian countries with a view to improving the quality, efficiency and proficiency of the Civil Servants in Nigeria as a whole.

The Administrator of PSIN, Dr. Abdul-Ganiyu Obatoyinbo, in an interview with journalists said the choice, Malaysia and Singapore was based on the fact that the two nations are among the countries with globally rated efficient civil service.

According to him, the selection of the institutes and organisations to be visited by delegates was made after wide consultations so as to enable delegates interact, share experiences and explore areas of partnerships aimed at improving the Nigerian Civil Service.